Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/author/yigal-schleifer/)
After withstanding years of silence, Cypriot families–both Greek and Turkish–are beginning to learn about the relatives they lost to political violence and to reclaim their remains. Sevgul Uludag has spurred that process of national healing.
In the wake of Turkey’s lifting of the head scarf ban women’s groups have been grappling with the damage to tentative secular-Islamist partnerships.
In Turkey, soccer is a male sport. But growing interest from girls who want to play and European pressures are spurring the creation of an all-female amateur league. Young players are hoping that girls’ soccer is about to score.
In a former Soviet republic, members of a small women’s movement express little hope of free and fair parliamentary elections on Nov. 6. Until the country becomes more democratic, they say, the nation will continue to marginalize women.
As the tourist season wraps up in Turkey, many travelers are hunting for that perfect handmade rug. Some of those rugs, like other crafts around the world, are produced by co-operatives that help women become financially independent.
Women’s TV shows in Turkey have begun featuring guests who talk about their domestic abuse. After one show led to a near-fatal shooting last week, two of the most popular shows have been canceled and the country is debating their value.
Many Turkish girls are going to school for the first time, thanks to a push by UNICEF and the government. One is 9-year-old Eylem Irmak, whose older sister, mother and grandmother never had that chance.
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Up to half of all Turkish women may have been victims of family violence. But as the European Union hopeful makes some major reforms, little progress has been made to strengthen women’s safety and legal rights.
A center in southeastern Turkey offers counseling, consciousness-raising and small business loans to women in the conservative region. Its founder was a victim of state torture.
A group of Turkish and Armenian women are trying to ease the strained political relationship between their two countries. Their efforts began two years ago and are now increasing in scope.